Urban pigeons are often treated as pests but are sentient birds with complex welfare needs.
Pigeons have been human companions for millennia and are among the most cognitively complex birds. Yet urban management treats them as pests to be poisoned, trapped, or excluded. Lethal control fails to reduce populations long-term as surviving birds breed to replace losses. Contraceptive bait programs — using nicarbazin or OvoControl — humanely reduce fertility and stabilize populations over time. Recognizing pigeons as sentient animals deserving of consideration changes how we approach urban coexistence.